There are so many people out there selling themselves as dog trainers.
A poor trainer may cause more problems or at the least not help you at all. You may be given interesting information, but lack a long-term solution after the trainer has left.
So is there really a sure-proof training system? Of course. We want to help you know what to look for.
DTO promotes a system of training, based on credentials that are peer reviewed.
Positive Training is based on your dog learning through treat incentive. We do not promote punishment techniques or any system that works with pain or dominance.
Dove follows guidelines that are set Internationally for good training practice. Through the Certification Council of Dog Trainers, she is Certified Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed. This is why you can trust DTO with your dog.
You can find dog trainers with all sorts of credentials, and indeed experience.
Certified Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed follows strict and ongoing reviews to assure best practices. The Certification of Dog Trainers Council assures that the latest science and studies are included in their training system.
There are three main prongs to the system of care for dogs:
Training - the belief is that by exercising your dog mentally you are setting up your dog for a happy and healthy life
Behavioural attention
Health assessment. A problem can be due to health. Perhaps your dog is in pain, and this is causing him to act out.
Veterinarians have very specific training.Today they are more and more trained in behavioural issues. However; remember that sometimes they can miss issues because veterinarian school failed to give training in reading a dog’s behaviour. This doesn’t mean that they are not helping your dog, only that their information is very specific.
Nutriton is a key factor to a healthy and happy dog, but we won’t address that here.
In some cases, if you delve a little deeper you will also find that some professed trainers are assessed within a franchise. They add credentials to their title but these are recognized within their own system. From our experience we find these systems are expensive. We find these systems can apply good techniques in portions, but we also find that their business model does not have the vigorousness of being peer reviewed.
As many a ways as there is to treat our health as humans, there are systems to help our dog. DTO is mainly interested in encouraging good training technique. We provide fun games as well as tips for crate training… We believe applying DTO training daily for 10 minutes at a time you are setting your dog and you up for success. Dove does not use force with her dogs. Those people who profess pain techniques like prong collars as the only way should know dominance and pain can provide results but they are short term. Dove has trained dogs on television, as well as helped thousands of dog owners. She knows methods that protect the safety of humans and dogs alike.
DTO however knows that the positive training in your home is not always the best and most effective for more troubled dogs. Your care and love for your dog is unquestioned, however; you may need an expert to intervene for more problematic situations. We encourage you to find a dog trainer specifically trained in behavioural issues. While we have included some basic and important information on behaviour that will help you as a dog owner recognize best technique, there sometimes is no replacement for one-on-one with a dog expert. We know that there is no reason to waste time when there are issues of human safety at hand. You need an expert who can read your dog.
If you are interested to taking an extra step to work with a live trainer we guide you to Certified Dog Trainers in your area from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. The CCPDT website has a full list of trainers in Canada, the US and worldwide.
If your dog is not exerting troubled behaviours and you just want that extra bit of one-on-one training. Great! Find someone like Dove who is Certified Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed.
If you have a dog with behavioural problems however; please be guided to Certified Dog Trainer Knowledge and Skills Assessed. These trainers are specifically skilled in dog behaviour. They will have slightly different and applied skills from Dove, the resident trainer at DTO.
We hope this has helped clarify Dog Training credentials. We hear so often people say that they spent so much money on a trainer, and still their dog is not behaving.
In short when looking for a dog trainer look for CPDT-KA and CPDT-KSA.